Kerkorian sells last shares in Ford Motor Co

Kerkorian, 91, has unloaded his last 107 million shares — a 4.89 percent stake — ending his investment with the troubled Dearborn, Michigan, automaker whose turnaround efforts he expressed confidence in earlier this year.

Kerkorian’s stake in Ford peaked in June, when he owned 6.49 percent after paying US$1 billion at an average share price of US$7.10.

He began scaling back his ownership in October, selling shares at an average price of US$2.43 each, according to regulatory filings. That marked a loss of about two-thirds of his investment, or about US$650 million.

Ford spokesman Mark Truby declined to comment on Kerkorian’s withdrawal and said the company “remains completely focused on executing our transformation plan.”

Kerkorian first said in April he would raise his existing stake in Ford to 5.6 percent, offering a 13.3 percent premium over the share’s existing price. The offer came just days after the automaker posted a surprise US$100 million first-quarter profit.

Kerkorian continued increasing his stake in June and met with Ford chief executive Alan Mulally and executive chairman Bill Ford to discuss the company’s turnaround plan.

But the situation for the auto industry has rapidly deteriorated since then. Last month, Ford posted a loss of US$129 million in the third quarter. Among Detroit’s automakers, the company is considered the best positioned to weather the industry slump and has said it does not need federal loans to survive. Nonetheless, its sales have slumped and its stock has withered.

Shares of Ford closed down US$0.07, or 3.1 percent, to US$2.22 on Monday and have fallen 66 percent so far this year.

“I just look at it as a negative indicator for the auto industry as a whole,” said Stephen Spivey, auto analyst for the consulting firm Frost & Sullivan. “The smart money is pulling out of this industry and you’ve got the taxpayer being the only significant investor left in these companies.”

Kerkorian’s Ford venture was the latest effort by the investor to build a significant investment in a US-based automotive company.

A year ago, Tracinda made an unsuccessful US$4.5 billion cash offer for Chrysler. It dumped the last block of what once was a nearly 10 percent share of General Motors Corp in 2006.

Kerkorian won a seat on GM’s board for Jerome York, one of his advisers, and he pushed for an alliance between GM, Nissan Motor Co and Renault SA. GM’s board voted to explore the possibility, but after three months of discussion, the idea was scrapped.

Tracinda, which is named after Kerkorian’s daughters, Tracy and Linda, holds the majority stake in casino and hotel operator MGM Mirage Inc.